HTML5 Is For Real (tough)

That said, I don’t think HTML 5 and dedicated apps are mutually exclusive. Websites have to come to realization that they need to be tablet-ready for a seamless experience for their customers. What’s more, the closer they can bring the app and browser-based experience to each other, the better it is.

I like HTML5. I think it’s long term future for most small businesses is better than that of OS localized apps.

But HTML5 is also very hard to write, when compared to to regular ole HTML. The latest version isn’t much different on its own, but really requires an advanced understanding of JavaScript in order to get things done.

And part of what I think has made regular HTML & CSS so effective is that I can sit in a classroom of journalism students and show them how to use just enough code to be dangerous / effective.

Maybe that’ll still be the case. Maybe HTML5 programmers will be able to keep the front-end user stuff simple enough so that journalism students aren’t specialized out of the process (much in the way that Action Script 3 made learning Flash a full-time profession).

HTML5 is great, but it’s becoming another highly specialized skill. So popular use of the language with be tied directly to developers’ ability to build apps/templates in a way that doesn’t take the power out of the hands of the front-line people.